How To Create A Powerful Career

[deborah-brown-volkman]

If you compared you career to the Wizard of Oz, would
you be at the start of the path, where the Lion lacked
courage, the Tin Man had no heart, and the Scarecrow
had no brain? Or, would you be Dorothy when she was
moving forward to find her way back home or Dorothy in
the beginning of the movie when she was afraid because
the wicked witch was chasing her?

What’s happening to you in your career? Is your job
being eliminated? Is your company merging or
reorganizing? Are you on your third, fourth, or fifth
boss, and you don’t know what is expected of you
anymore?

Sometimes in our career we feel powerless. The
circumstances around us are changing and we don’t
believe we have a say in how things go. Maybe you do
have a say. Maybe you have more control over your
circumstances than you think you do. Maybe you have
the ability to map out the course your career will
take as well as the power and energy to complete the
journey.

Where will this power come from? It will come from
you. So, how do you create a powerful career? Follow
these three steps below.

1. Assess Your Situation

Maybe what you are experiencing in your career
currently is not as bad as you think. Then again,
maybe it’s worse. Either way, you will not know what
you are dealing with until you can objectively look at
what’s happening to you and around you. Take out a
piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. (You
can also use an excel spreadsheet.) In the left hand
column, list the pro’s of your present situation. In
the right hand column, list the con’s. Which list is
longer?

Take out another sheet of paper so you can assess how
bad the con’s really are. Draw a line down the middle.
In the left hand column, list what you can change. In
the right hand column, list what you cannot. Which
list is longer?

You are looking for an objective view of your
situation; a new perspective. Feelings without facts
can be disserving. Getting your thoughts out of your
head and on paper will give you the ability to see
your situation in a whole new way.

2. Decide To Change Your Situation

Your career can improve once you decide to improve it.
You would be surprised by the number of people I speak
to who are waiting for unfulfilling situations to
magically get better on their own. These individuals
play a waiting game hoping to be victorious. Sometimes
this strategy works. Most of the time it does not and
they are left tired, confused, and disappointed in
themselves because they failed to act.

I understand that change is not easy. Trust me that
working in a bad environment is much harder than
taking steps to improve it.

3. Get Your Power Back

Once you know a situation is no longer working and you
have decided to change it, it’s time to become
powerful. Power comes through movement. When you are
moving forward, you are energized. You are on the
court playing rather than sitting on the sidelines.
You have your to-do list and you are checking off the
items one by one. You have focus and direction. You
are implementing your plan. Excuses and fear no longer
deter you. You feel different because you are
different. You have your power back.

So, what do you say? You only have one life to live, so
it might as well be a life you love!

[kalai]

Take, for example, the expectations of employers these days. Frankly, they're just not interested in what you used to do for someone else . . . unless you can make a direct connection for them as to how your experience will impact their business.

Then, there's the question of their needs as opposed to yours. To be honest, they really could care less about what you're looking for. It's not a primary factor in a hiring decision. It's why we recommend to our customers that they eliminate an "objective" statement in their resume. Employers simply aren't interested!

Instead, we recommend you get rid of the attitude, "Take a look at my impressive work history." Replace it with a statement of what you bring to the table that can make a difference to the organization you're addressing.

The same goes for you resume. Replace the "objective" statement with a headline that alerts the reader to the contribution you can make. Of course, this assumes that you've taken the time to learn something about the organization and the specific needs of the person you're talking to. Without that sense of immediacy you're just another face in the crowd.

Which brings me to another point about job finding in the 21st Century. It's the competition!

If you haven't taken the time to develop a comprehensive job finding plan, you're dooming yourself to failure. Or, at best, a long, long job campaign.

Why is a powerful job finding plan so important? One of the most important reasons is to put you head and shoulders over the competition. For example, if you want to impress and employer so that you stick out in the crowd, then you must do your homework.

In other words, don't rely on your resume to get you a job. Employers these days don't make hiring decision based on resumes. They want you to do your homework and come forward with solutions to the problems the organization is facing. You're resume can't do that. Only a thoughtful face-to-face dialog can put you in the running.

That means you have to have a track to run on. Only a successful job finding plan can help you accomplish your job search goals. A job finding plan provides you with a success blueprint that can significantly move the odds in your favor . . . and avoid the crapshoot!
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